Monday, June 16, 2008

Alleged attack on Native grandmothers by OPP

Breaking news: no doubt there will be more details about this incident coming out eventually.

I am posting this entire message, as received, other than the names and identifiers of specific individual(s) against whom serious allegations have been made, which have been redacted. I should offer the caveat that, at this point, I do not have sufficient information to determine what actually took place, but obviously something serious happened this past weekend at Akwesasne. If readers can add anything material, I would be grateful.

Note that the Canada-US border running through the traditional Six Nations territory of Akwesasne has been a bone of contention for some time.

ONE ELDER SAVED BY A HEART ATTACK - ANOTHER ELDER MISSING IN ACTION: MOHAWK GRANDMOTHERS ATTACKED AT CANADA-US BORDER CROSSING ON UNCEDED HAUDENOSAUNEE LAND

Monday, June 16, 2008

Mohawk Elder and Grandmother, Kahentinetha Horn suffered a heart attack, Saturday, June 14, 2008 during a vicious, unprovoked assault by OPP and border agents at Cornwall, in Akwesasne community. She had been beaten and handcuffed when she collapsed. Earlier when she was pulled over, Kahentinetha immediately contacted her brother, a lawyer, on her cellphone. The entire incident was being filmed as her brother rushed to the scene just in time to call an ambulance for her.

Meanwhile, Elder and Grandmother Katenies of Akwesasne was beaten and taken prisoner to an as yet undisclosed location. We are very concerned about her safety. We demand to know of her whereabouts and that she be released immediately.

A few months ago, Julian Fantino put out the word, warning Kahentinetha not to set foot in Ontario or else... She is the publisher of MNN and regular internet reports that are very critical of police and government actions toward Indigenous people. Her articles often clearly state the legalities/realities of the situation that Canada is a corporation plundering unceded Turtle Island. The land and resources belong to the Ongwehoneh people. Canada's huge debt to us will bankrupt them forever.

The other day, while Stephen Harper was making a public apology to Indigenous for the crimes of the residential schools, he was also preparing to send the army in at 6 nations. Brantford city mayor has requested it, stating his city police cannot handle another "Mohawk uprising", in other words, peaceful protests against housing development where non resident, nonNatives attack the protesters while the police watch. The Ontario Conservatives call for military intervention every day.

On Saturday, border agents were pulling over every Native person. Kahentinetha and Katenies were traveling in Akwesasne in the course of their regular activities and were caught up in the dragnet. Did [redacted] set up a trap for the two outspoken, Mohawk grandmothers? We suspect that Kahentinetha would have been killed at a secret location had she not had a heart attack and been taken to hospital.

Immediately following this incident, many Mohawks and supporters started to gather at Akwesasne.

Kahentinetha and Katenies' attackers want them to accept being Canadian or else they will kill them and anyone else who resists colonization. This low level warfare is playing out on the "border" between Canada and the US, an imaginary line drawn right through the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and through Haudenosaunee territory which is a vast area on BOTH sides of the Great Lakes.

This Great Lakes area is also a proposed center for the NWO. Many military plans are underway including nuclear submarines in the Great Lakes and JTF2, Aerospace Warfare Center and NATO FOB (Forward Operating Base) at a new base being built at Trenton, near TyendinagaMohawk community. Tyendinaga was attacked by OPP/SWAT in April when Mohawks protested housing development there.

If Canadians are so damned sorry about the abuse of Native people, why is this still happening? Why do people remain silent when Mohawk elders and grandmothers are attacked like this? We are under constant surveillance and threats and attacks while our land continues to be plundered and pillaged. Was this a failed assassination attempt ordered by [redacted] head of the biggest gang in the area?

We must demand answers and get answers. This attempted genocide must cease. We will never give up.

Call or write to politicians, media, action lists includinginternational. Get the word out now!!!

K..... will be speaking with Kevin Annett on live radio today at 4:30pm Montreal time.

UPDATE: (June 20) Since the above was posted, nothing further at all has emerged, other than a few widely recycled commentaries originating from what I regard as less-than-unimpeachable sources.

I remain open to receiving further information, but at this point I must regretfully conclude that there was no substance to the original message--"regretfully," because there is a sufficiency of well-founded instances of police brutality against Native people, whose word is not always given the credibility it deserves. This sort of thing, frankly, is not at all helpful in that respect.

UPDATE: (June 28) I was wrong in my last Update. The very day after it appeared, the Globe and Mail carried the story, and a similar one appeared today in the Ottawa Citizen. A more detailed account of events may be found here. Where there was smoke, some fire has emerged. The facts of the case are far from clear, but that there is a case is no longer in doubt. My sincere apologies to anyone who was offended by my earlier comment: I dropped the ball. I'll be watching events as they unfold with, I hope, a sharper eye.